Grid Down Survival Guides and Power Outage Checklists
These free guides answer the questions households actually search for about long power outages, using official U.S. figures from Ready.gov, CDC, EPA, USDA / FoodSafety.gov, the American Red Cross, and CPSC. Each article is part of the companion site for 90 Days Without Power by Robert Smythe and points back to the full book when you want worksheets, diagrams, and the complete chapter sequence.
How to Prepare for a 90-Day Blackout
Learn how to survive a long power outage by building from Ready.gov’s several-day kit and the Red Cross two-week supply toward an optional 90-day cushion.
How Much Water to Store for 90 Days
Calculate how much water to store for 90 days using the official one-gallon-per-person-per-day baseline from Ready.gov and the Red Cross, including extra for heat and pets.
How to Make Water Safe to Drink in an Emergency
Make water safer in an emergency: prefilter cloudy water, boil it (CDC: 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet), or use EPA bleach doses. Do not treat chemically contaminated or flood water as if boiling will fix it.
Top 10 Blackout Survival Gear Items
The top 10 blackout survival gear items in 90 Days Without Power cover drinking water, backup power, official alerts, outdoor cooking, carbon monoxide and fire safety, light, and first aid.
How to Run a Generator Safely During a Power Outage
Run a generator outdoors more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents (CDC and CPSC). Never use one in a garage, even with the door open, and never heat a home with a grill, camp stove, or oven.
Food Safety During a Power Outage
If the door stays closed, a refrigerator keeps food safe about 4 hours, a full freezer about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer about 24 hours (USDA / FoodSafety.gov). The keep-or-toss line is 40°F. When in doubt, throw it out, and never taste food to decide.
How to Stay Cool Without Power
Stay cool without power by moving to the lowest shadiest room, closing blinds, drinking more water (Ready.gov says needs can double in heat), and leaving for an official cooling center if the house becomes unsafe. CDC says indoor fans alone are not reliable around 90°F and above.
How to Stay Warm Without Electricity
Stay warm without electricity by gathering everyone in one sealed, insulated room, wearing dry layers, and never heating with an oven, grill, camp stove, or indoor generator. Watch for hypothermia and leave for an official warming center if the house is no longer safe.
Home Security During a Blackout
Home security during a blackout is mostly unglamorous: locked doors with a reinforced strike, covered lantern light, early-warning chimes that work without Wi-Fi, a safe room, a family code word, and de-escalation first. Stay lawful. This is not legal advice.
Power Outage Preparedness Checklist
A power outage preparedness checklist starts with Ready.gov basics: water (one gallon per person per day for several days), non-perishable food, flashlights, a NOAA radio, a first-aid kit, medicines, and sanitation supplies, plus battery carbon monoxide alarms and a two-week home target from the Red Cross.
What to Do During a Boil Water Advisory
During a boil-water advisory, bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 6,500 feet (CDC), then let it cool. Use that water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing food, making ice, and preparing formula unless officials say otherwise. Do not boil water that is under a chemical-contamination notice.
How to Make a Family Communication Plan for a Power Outage
A family communication plan for a power outage includes an out-of-area contact, two meeting places, paper phone numbers, and a way to hear official alerts that does not depend on home Wi-Fi, such as a NOAA weather radio or Wireless Emergency Alerts on a charged phone.